Recently, the financial industry adapted to its customers' evolving needs by employing automated teller machines, account management kiosks, cash recyclers, and other remotely operating user devices as portals for accessing customer accounts and transacting financial business and other related services without the need to interact with a human teller. Most often, the user devices are operated by a financial institution or other business entity and may be positioned at or near a financial institution or other business entity or may be free-standing at convenient locations for a customer (e.g., a shopping mall, office building, grocery store, or the like). The financial institution or other business entity strategically positions the user devices in locations that are likely to be frequented and utilized by customers. Many customers find these user devices convenient and often use such machines for conducting business with the financial institution or other business entity. As a result, the financial institutions or other business entities carefully monitor the condition of the user device to ensure that it is functioning properly and is properly maintained to provide a high quality customer experience.
The user devices need to be maintained, serviced, and monitored on a regular basis for cleaning, maintenance, service, and other purposes. Oftentimes, the financial institution or other business entity employs a third party vendor to provide service and maintenance to the user devices. In addition or in substitution of the third party vendor, the financial institution or other business entity may require or request that its employees monitor the condition of the user devices. When a repair or maintenance needs to be performed, the vendor or employee notifies the financial institution or other business entity of the needed action and the financial institution or other business entity then dispatches the party that will perform the repair. This process is time-consuming and prone to errors. The process also increases the amount of time that the user device operates in an undesirable condition or is inoperable and decreases the customers' satisfaction of conducting business at the user device.
In order to increase the quality of the customer interface and promote high quality banking with a financial institution or other business entity, a system and method is needed that is able to streamline the process of providing feedback to the financial institution or other business entity. Further, a system and method is needed that monitors the vendors and employees that assess the user devices to verify that the repair, maintenance, and monitoring is being performed at the standard desired by the financial institution or other business entity. Providing feedback and comments from the customers may also assist in maintaining a high quality customer interface. Therefore, a system and method is also needed that permits a vendor, customer, and employee to provide real-time or near real-time feedback to the financial institution or other business entity to streamline the service and maintenance process.